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INS IDE THI S
I S SUE :
F O R T F I S H E R
S T A T E H I S TO R I C S I T E The Powder Magazine
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 9
S P ECIAL
POINTS OF
INTERE ST
• Experience
Garrison Life at
Fort Fisher
• Curious about
the Fort Fisher
monument?
• Hear the cannons
boom at Fort
Fisher programs
(see page 11)
• Want to plan a
fieldtrip? (see
page 9)
engineer impression. Kids of all
ages can join in the fun by learn-ing
period artillery drill. High-lighting
the program will be a
talk by local author and UNCW
professor, Chris Fonvielle.
October’s program, “Hardship
on the Home Front,” will delve
into the problems of shortages
on the home front, disease, etc.
that affected both civilians and
Fort Fisher soldiers.
For more information on these
and other programs, please con-tact
Amy Manor Thornton at
(910) 458-5538 or
fisher@ncdcr.gov. Demonstra-tions
and activities are subject to
change. All programs are made
possible with the support of the
Fort Fisher Restoration
Committee.
In 2009 Fort Fisher will launch
two major events, one in June
and one in October. These two
programs will give the public the
opportunity to experience the
daily lives of soldiers and civil-ians
during the Civil War. On
June 27, we will focus on life in
the Confederate Garrison and
on October 10 we will explore
the common hardships faced by
the civilian population, as well as
the troops at Fort Fisher.
On June 27, 2009, visitors will
hear the cannons boom as they
watch artillery and infantry dem-onstrations
and a Confederate
Infantry demonstrations at a Fort Fisher program (Bill Yeager)
Fort Fisher Debuts Two New Programs
For more than seventy-five
years, an imposing monument of
granite and bronze has stood
over Fort Fisher’s Battle Acre. A
Grecian column surmounted by
an eagle, it faces the sea as if
watching for the great Union
armada that doomed
Confederate Fort Fisher in
January 1865. Most visitors to
the monument leave impressed
with the military virtues of Fort
Fisher’s defenders. However,
the story of the monument is as
much about the ladies of the
United Daughters of the
Confederacy and their
worldview, as it is about Colonel
William Lamb and the men he led
in battle.
The idea to commemorate Fort
Fisher’s soldiers originated with
veterans of the battle. In 1902, the
Reverend James A. Smith
proposed a monument be erected
at the River Road gate, in honor
of his comrades of Company D,
1st North Carolina Heavy
Artillery, who lost their lives in
the desperate fighting there.
However, little came of the idea,
and nearly twenty years passed
before Captain Edgar D. Williams,
who witnessed the battle in his
youth, installed Fort Fisher’s
first historical marker. A simple
stone tablet, it marked the
location of Colonel Lamb’s
headquarters but was not an
especially grand monument.
In 1929, the ladies of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy
(UDC) dedicated themselves to
building a monument that
would “testify to future
generations the Daughters in
North Carolina are not
“How Grand a Fame It Watches Over”: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
From the Site
Manager’s Desk
2
Gift Shop Corner 2
Fort Fisher’s
Mound Battery
3
Blast from the
Past
5
A Word from
the FFRC
5
Cannoneer’s
Corner
6
Planning a
Fieldtrip to
Fort Fisher?
9
Join the
Junior Reserves
10
2009 Calendar
of Events
11
Continued on page 7
P A G E 2 From the Site Manager’s Desk: Our New Look
Regular visitors to Fort Fisher State
Historic Site have probably noticed a
change. In years past, we frequently
and closely mowed the entire site,
from the north airstrip to Battery
Buchanan. The grounds were as well-manicured
as a putting green, but
no more. Today, we are allowing
many acres of grass to grow, which
we believe is a change for the bet-ter.
North Carolina Historic Sites has
adopted a plan for “controlled
growth” of our grounds. The tighten-ing
state budget has required many
cost-savings measures, but has also
presented opportunities. In the area
of grounds maintenance, a need to
conserve fuel, equipment, and staff
time has given us a chance to rethink
our approach. What has been discov-ered
is that a reduced mowing sched-ule
has tangible benefits beyond its
contribution to the bottom line.
The earthen fortifications here have
not won their battle against erosion,
the oceanfront revetment wall not-withstanding.
Wind and rain continue
their assault on the ramparts, and
every year more historic material is
washed and blown away. The best
preventative is a thick covering of tall
grasses. It is a fact that an earth-work’s
resistance to erosion is di-rectly
proportional to the length of
the leaf. As preservationists, we are
obligated to do everything in our
power to ensure the remnants of
Fort Fisher survive to educate and
inspire future generations.
A reduced mowing schedule has
been applied to much of the rest of
the site, outside the immediate vicin-ity
of the visitor center, tour trail,
and oceanfront pathway. Areas such
as the north and south airstrips will
only be mowed twice a year, and not
as closely as in the past. The effect
will be one of a meadow, and will
more accurately suggest the landscape
of 1865. The soldiers and slaves who
labored here did not cut grass. In fact,
they encouraged its growth knowing
it was all that held the sand in place.
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
grounds will be less manicured than
you are used to seeing, but we believe
you will come to appreciate the new
look, and its contribution to better
battlefield preservation and interpre-tation.
“Controlled growth” is a cost
saving measure that will prove a posi-tive
good. Just remember, it is a bat-tlefield,
not a golf course. Drop in and
let us know what you think; as we
implement this new policy, we are still
learning and welcome your input.
Sincerely,
Jim Steele
Gift Shop Corner
Carolina, is known as the
steward of the largest Froelich
military collection in the
country. Fonvielle, noted local
historian and professor of
history at UNC-Wilmington,
explores the history of Louis
Froelich and his rise to fame as
a hard working and highly
skilled craftsman in war-time
North Carolina.
Some may ask who was Louis
Froelich? Froelich was a
German immigrant who came
to Wilmington, North
Carolina at the outbreak of
the American Civil War.
Froelich worked for the
Wilmington Button Factory
until it folded in August 1861 Continued on page 6
due to lack of government
contracts. Froelich turned
his attention to establishing
the Wilmington Arms Factory.
From September 1861 to
early 1863, the factory
manufactured swords, sabers,
and other war materiel for
North Carolina and the
Confederacy. Then in 1863, a
fire destroyed his factory and
Froelich moved the factory to
Kenansville, where it
continued to produce items
for the Confederacy including
several sets of surgical
instruments and buttons until
March 1865, when the Union
army occupied southeastern
North Carolina.
In this edition of the Gift Shop
Corner, we highlight the
newest addition to
the Fort Fisher gift
shop: Louis Froelich:
Arms-Maker to the
Confederacy by John
W. McAden, Jr., and
Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle,
Jr. by NC Starburst
Press (Slapdash
Publishing, LLC). The
first printing was
completed in August
2008.
McAden, an avid
sword collector from
Wilson, North
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
“As preservationists, we are obligated to
do everything in our power to ensure
the remnants of Fort Fisher survive to
educate and inspire future generations.”
P A G E 3
During the Civil War, the colossal earth work known as Mound
Battery, strategically positioned just South of Fort Fisher’s Sea
Face, loomed over the Cape Fear River estuary of New Inlet.
Erected in the first six months of 1863, the defensive work was
officially dubbed Battery Lamb, (though more commonly
referred to as “the Mound”), and was considered an
engineering marvel as well as Fort Fisher’s most notable
landmark. Virtually all seafaring men, both northern and
southern alike, plying the waters off Cape Fear during the Civil
War noted the impressive fortification.
Preparatory to constructing this massive “sand castle”, the
Federal Point Lighthouse (that had given Federal Point its name)
was razed. Timbers from the twenty-seven year old lighthouse
were scavenged as scaffolding to erect a wooden tower that
framed the battery and the inclined railway that descended
from the apex of the structure. With the assistance of steam
engines, cartloads of sand were then pulled up the rails to the
top of the tower before dumping the sand over the side,
gradually filling and covering the scaffolding. To stabilize the
citadel and shield it from erosion and wind, marsh grass was
planted on the sand walls. A complement of two heavy seacoast
guns were mounted on the summit en barbette (in the open)
and signal lights were raised above the gun emplacement.
According to Fort Fisher Commander, Col. William Lamb, the
sixty foot battery afforded the guns (a10-inch Columbiad
Smoothbore and a 6.4-inch Brooke Rifle) a position capable of,
“plunging fire on the channel.” The signal lights for
communicating with friendly vessels could be seen for miles
and blockade runners making for New Inlet soon looked to
Mound Battery for both navigation and protection.
Captain John Wilkinson
of the Confederate
States Navy recalled
that, “I believe the
military men used to
laugh slyly at the
Colonel for undertaking
its erection, predicting
that it would not stand;
but the result showed the contrary; and whatever difference of
opinion may have existed with regard to its value as a military
position, there can be but one as to its utility to the blockade-runners,
for it was not a landmark, alone along this
monotonous coast; but one of the range lights for crossing
New Inlet bar…”
Initial United States Navy intelligence pertaining to the
erection of Mound Battery was made official in February of
1863, when Captain Case, commander of the U.S.S. Iroquois,
addressed a dispatch concerning increased Confederate
activity off New Inlet to Acting Rear-Admiral S.P. Lee,
commander of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron: “SIR: I
have to report the enemy working like beavers in adding to
the defenses of New Inlet. From their apparent great energy I
am induced to believe that in the event of our capture of
Charleston this is to be the point for the blockade runners…A
steam engine is in use, apparently for the purpose of raising the
sand, etc…The light-house at Federal Point was taken down a
few days before my arrival…”
In April of 1863, Captain Case, again sent an advisory regarding
the Confederate defenses off New Inlet to Lee. Lee in turn
forwarded the following communiqué to Secretary of the Navy
Gideon Welles:
“The enemy is busily engaged filling sand
around the tower referred to in my No. 299,
of March 17, as building by the rebels on the
southwest end of Federal Point. It has now
assumed the character of a mound, to
construct which they use an inclined railway
to the top of the tower. I enclose herewith a
sketch, sent by Captain Case, representing
the appearance of this tower at three
different stages of its construction.”
“‘SIR: I have to report the enemy working
like beavers in adding to the defenses of New
Inlet. From their apparent great energy I am
induced to believe that in the event of our
capture of Charleston this is to be the point
for the blockade runners…’”
Fort Fisher’s Mound Battery
Construction of Mound Battery by Admiral Lee (Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of
the Rebellion)
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Continued on page 4
P A G E 4
“This is a must for those who are historical interpreters,
historical re-enactors, scouts and campers or interested in
historical food ways.”
Continued from page 3: Fort Fisher’s Mound Battery
“Among the acts of individual heroism, one
must be mentioned: When the garrison flag
staff, standing in the parade, was shivered
by shot and shell and the flag had fallen,
orders were given to Captain Daniel Munn,
Company B, to raise a flag on the Mound
Battery. The halyards had become
unreeved and it was necessary to climb the
staff to fasten the flag. Private
Christopher C. Bland, of Company
K, Thirty-sixth North Carolina,
volunteered, climbed the staff
under a heavy fire of the fleet and
fastened the flag. At once a terrific
fire was poured on the Mound,
and the lower end of the flag being
cut loose, that heroic soldier
repeated the daring act, amid the
cheers of the garrison, and fastened the flag
securely to the staff, where it floated
triumphantly, although torn and rent by
fragments of shell, until the victory was
won.”
On January 8th, 1865, just seven days before the fall of the
fort, Lamb proudly forwarded the flag and the above account
to North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance.
Today the eminence that was once Mound Battery is no
longer extant; yet a tangible reminder of the battery and the
men who fought there remains: “Kit” Bland’s Medal of
Honor, issued by the Son’s of Confederate Veterans in 1995,
is on display and can be seen in the Fort Fisher State Historic
Site visitor center.
Ray Flowers
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
The six month construction of Mound Battery required a
tremendous amount of men and labor. Colonel Lamb stated
that sometimes, “… hundreds were congregated together in
constructing the mound.” One of those “hundreds” wrote,
“We have very still times here just now although we have
plenty of work to do[.] We are building a mountain Seventy
two [sic] feet high[.] I don’t think we will ever get it
done…” While another complained that, “We are still at
work building a mountain out of sand
which is a considerable job for the wind
blows it away nearly as fast as we build
it…” Not only was the work
monotonous and fatiguing, but it could
also be dangerous. On January 30, 1863
Private Alfred Campen, Company B, 40th
Regiment N.C.T. was accidentally killed
during the dismantling of the lighthouse
preceding the erection of Mound Battery.
In November of 1863, Confederate President Jefferson
Davis toured the Lower Cape Fear defense system.
Recalling the President’s inspection of Fort Fisher, Colonel
Lamb wrote, “He landed at the point and rode with Gen.
Whiting to the mound. As soon as he reached the top,
giving him a complete view of the works, the sea-face guns
being manned for the purpose, gave him the Presidential
salute of twenty-one guns. We doubt whether many of the
forts in the South could claim the distinction of having fired
this salute.”
On Christmas Eve day 1864, during the first Battle of Fort
Fisher, eighteen-year old Private Christopher Columbus
“Kit” Bland performed a heroic feat. Fort Fisher
Commander, Colonel William Lamb described the daring
deed:
“‘We are still at work building a
mountain out of sand which is a
considerable job fort he wind
blows it away nearly as fast as we
build it…’”
Battery Lamb [Mound Battery] in January 1865
(Timothy O’Sullivan, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
P A G E 5 Blast From the Past: Do You Know Who This Is?
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Memorial Day signals the
traditional start of another
busy summer season at North
Carolina beaches. This
summer will be particularly
challenging for State Historic
Sites and especially Fort
Fisher. State budget shortfalls
have hit all state agencies hard
forcing reduced staffing,
grounds and maintenance
upkeep, travel, training and
operating hours. Even so, Fort
Fisher will remain the most
visited State Historic Site in
North Carolina. Last year
visitation exceeded 500,000.
While some of the large
visitor traffic is directly related
to the beautiful beaches of
Federal Point and other area
tourist attractions, many more
come to learn about the fabled
history of the South’s largest
fortification during the Civil
War and the terrible battles in
late 1864 and early 1865 that
captured the fort and sealed the
all-important port of
Wilmington and the fate of the
Confederacy. While Fort Fisher
is a beautiful and inviting beach
and tourist destination we can
never forget the sacrifices of
thousands of our fellow
countrymen, who collided,
fought, were wounded,
captured, or died, and those
who survived to give us the
freedoms we observe every
Memorial Day. God bless them
and the hallowed battlefields like
Fort Fisher that must be
preserved for future American
generations to understand the
high costs of liberty.
Over the past dozen years
the Fort Fisher site has
received many millions of
state and federal dollars to
protect the remnants of the
earthen fort from coastal
erosion and completely
renovate the visitor center
and install all new exhibits.
Most recently, loans of actual
artillery pieces that saw
service at Fort Fisher were
loaned by the Army from the
United States Military
Academy at West Point and
the United States Navy Yard
in Washington.
None of these
accomplishments would have
been possible without the
guiding hand of the site’s non-profit
support organization,
A Word From The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee
“While Fort Fisher is a
beautiful and inviting
beach and tourist desti-nation,
we can never
forget the sacrifices of
thousands of our fellow
countrymen…””
Continued on page 10
Kenny Koch, 30 year employee at Fort Fisher State Historic Site
P A G E 6
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Continued from page 2: Gift Shop Corner
into the history behind the
Wilmington Arms Factory, later
renamed the Confederate States
Armory, by using newspaper articles
and other primary sources. The
American Society of Arms
Collectors cited that Louis Froelich:
Arms-Maker to the Confederacy
was “to be used as a reference book
in the field of Confederate edged
weapons and it is a factual and
informative work for both
collectors and historians and is
recommended for this field of
American arms history.” Louis
Froelich: Arms-Maker to the
Confederacy retails at $50.00 + tax,
hardbound and is 96 pages. This
would be the perfect gift for any
military history buff in your family or
for anyone who has an interest in
North Carolina Confederate military
arms and accessories.
Becky Sawyer
This book provides an amazing visual
inventory of North Carolina’s premier
arms maker to the Confederacy.
Kudos should be given to the graphic
arts designer, Daniel Ray Norris of
Slapdash Publishing and photographer,
Jack W. Melton, Jr. on the high quality
of the layout of the book and
spectacular images. Melton’s close-up
and detailed images show the reader
the intricate detail of Froelich’s
craftsmanship. The book also delves
Cannoneer’s Corner
The winter and early spring always proves to be a
busy time for the Fort Fisher cannons and their
crews. Luckily, we finally resolved our misfire
troubles by getting replacement friction primers in
time for the 144th Battle Anniversary Program.
January stayed true to winter and brought us bitter
cold weather the weekend of the program.
Thankfully it was only cold and there was no
precipitation. We made it onto the local morning
news cast the
day before the
program. We
were firing the
Napoleon to
promote the
program and it
was so cold, ice
crystals formed
on the sponge
head and in the
water bucket.
Despite the
cold, the 32
pounder, the
Napoleon, and
the Parrott Rifle (from
Adams Battery) all
boomed thunderously
to the delight of the
crowds (and to my delight there were no misfires).
On February 14th and 15th we took the Napoleon
to the 144th Battle Anniversary Program at
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.
We did our best to make sure all Valentines
present had a blast. We did have one little mishap.
A visitor asked historical interpreter Jim McKee,
“What happens when there’s a misfire?” Well, the
Napoleon decided to oblige with an answer, and he
quickly found out as our second shot misfired. Our
little bit of trouble was short lived and the
gentleman learned why we try not to say the ‘m’
word very often. Also as it turns out, February 14th
was Jim McKee’s birthday. Both cannon crews felt
it necessary to sing “Happy Birthday” to him as he
began the second demonstration. He was surprised
by our outburst of
singing, but
appreciated it
nonetheless.
March brought us
to Bentonville
Battleground State Historic Site on the 21st and
22nd for their 144th Battle Anniversary Program. For
this trip, however, we left the Napoleon at Fort
Fisher. Instead we fired Bentonville’s iron 3-inch
Ordnance Rifle. It felt a little odd firing a cannon
other than the Napoleon, but the Rifle performed
well as did our crew. Visitors do not mind seeing
different cannons, so long as they go “BOOM,” and
they get a lesson about it.
The Napoleon was glad to have a break and did not
mind us crewing another cannon, because it got a
maintenance-style spa treatment. We started by
taking the tube off the carriage. We chipped and
scraped the old paint off the carriage and gave it a
fresh paint job. We greased the elevation screw
“It was so cold, ice crystals
formed on the sponge head
and in the water bucket.”
Continued on page 9
Kenny Koch and Jessica
Sutton painting the
Napoleon carriage.
P A G E 7 Continued from page 1: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
unmindful of the heroism displayed by her Sons at Fort
Fisher.” In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth
centuries, the Daughters built hundreds of monuments
throughout the South. Monuments were key components
in the UDC’s campaign to honor and vindicate
Confederate soldiers. UDC monuments proclaimed the
South’s devotion to patriotic principles and remain the
most enduring symbols of the Lost Cause. A justification
for secession and explanation for defeat, the Lost Cause
asserted a defense of states’ rights, not slavery, provoked
disunion, and that the Confederacy had been defeated
only by the Union’s overwhelming material resources.
The Fort Fisher Memorial Committee, chaired by Mrs.
Annie Rogers Newell of Charlotte, embarked on a four-year
campaign to raise money and to secure a site for the
monument. Every UDC chapter in North Carolina
pledged a donation to the monument fund each year. The
Daughters were
outstanding fundraisers.
They understood that their
monuments reflected their
own status as socially-elite
Southern women and as
guardians of Confederate
memory, and this
knowledge inspired their
best efforts. By October
1931, the North Carolina
Daughters had raised
$8,000, and a Wilmington
committee organized to
raise sufficient funds to
complete the $10,000
monument.
In the early 1930s, erosion
had yet to destroy Fort
Fisher’s mile-long,
oceanfront wall. Property
owners Thomas and Louis
Orrell donated land on the
fort’s Northeast Bastion, a
fine place for a
Confederate monument.
At its 1931 annual
convention, held in Wilmington, the North Carolina
UDC approved construction of a monument designed by
a Greensboro architectural firm. Charles C. Johnson,
famous for building the North Carolina monument at
Gettysburg, installed the monument’s foundations in
December, anticipating completion in time for a June
1932 dedication ceremony.
Unfortunately, oceanfront erosion forced a change of
plans. The removal of offshore coquina rock in the 1920s
accelerated the process along Fort Fisher’s sea face. By
1932, the Atlantic Ocean had consumed hundreds of feet
of beach, and was lapping at the very base of the Northeast
Bastion. A federal erosion board studied the problem and
determined a solution would cost $71,000. Chief of
engineers General Lytle Brown reported: “The
expenditure, while desirable in the interest of the
protection of a historic work, is not justified in any federal
interest of navigation.” This calamitous news forced the
Daughters to look elsewhere to site their monument, or
see it topple into the sea with the crumbling fortress.
Fortunately, nearby was a property ideally suited for a
monument. West and inland of the vanishing Northeast
Bastion was Battle Acre, a landscape where the Fort Fisher
headquarters once stood. In 1929, the United States
lighthouse service deeded the property, which it had
owned since 1817, to the City of Wilmington. As a
condition of the transfer, the national government
obligated the city to manage Battle Acre as a memorial to
the Battle of Fort Fisher. Dedicated on May 24, 1931,
Battle Acre had been landscaped and adorned with a few,
simple markers of concrete and cannonballs, and a flagpole
flying the Stars and Stripes. Mrs. Newell secured the city’s
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
From Confederate Veteran 40: 249, “Prominent Participants in Dedication at Fort Fisher.” Mrs. Annie
Rogers Newell (Chair, Fort Fisher Memorial Committee), Governor Max Gardner, Mrs. Cecil Brawley
Long (President, N.C. Division, U.D.C.), General William A. Smith (Commander, N.C. Division, United
Confederate Veterans).
P A G E 8
“This is a must for those who are historical interpreters,
historical re-enactors, scouts and campers or interested in
historical food ways.”
Continued from page 7: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
Long, gave a stirring address. She called upon the crowd to
remember the deeds of their Confederate ancestors, and
impressed upon them the Daughters sacred trust to preserve
Confederate heritage:
“More monuments to Southern valor have been erected
upon Southern soil than have been set up in any other
land to any other people. In this cause of preserving the
heroic story of the South and immortalizing its illustrious
past the Daughters of the Confederacy have equaled the
devotion and loyalty of their mothers. . . In order that
this place should be properly marked the women of the
North Carolina U.D.C. have worked with persistence
and unconquerable courage and are proud today to be
members of an organization that can bring about such an
accomplishment. They have labored arduously and today
is the culmination of a long-cherished dream – a
monument at Fort Fisher. This slate of stone,
commanding the pilgrim to pause, to read and to know
that here occurred the greatest naval bombardment in
the history of ancient or modern warfare; that the blood
of our bravest drenched the ocean border in a scarlet
rain; that here was gloriously displayed the indomitable
spirit of the Boy Soldier of the Confederacy and to know
that here a grateful people have taken pride in inscribing
their history on imperishable stone. We pray it will stir
and quicken the pride of every North Carolinian. How
grand a fame it watches over.”
Since its dedication so long ago, the Fort Fisher monument has
maintained its vigil by the sea. In 1935 human remains presumed
to belong to a Confederate soldier were discovered in the
vicinity, and reinterred at the monument’s base. Erosion
threatened the monument again, and forced its westward
relocation in 1948. Fortunately, installation of an oceanfront
revetment wall in 1996 has stabilized Fort Fisher’s shoreline,
saving Battle Acre and making another move unlikely.
Today the Fort Fisher monument is an artifact of the early-twentieth
century, a time when the Lost Cause was the dominant
interpretation of the Civil War, and is as much a part of the
historical landscape as the surviving ramparts. Taken at face value,
it simply celebrates the valor of Fort Fisher’s Confederate
soldiers. However, the monument also reveals much about the
ladies who built it: their culture, their values, and their status as
elite women struggling to preserve Confederate heritage in a
New South. North Carolina Daughters today are proud of the
Fort Fisher monument. Every Confederate Memorial Day they
gather at Battle Acre in remembrance of their Confederate
ancestors, both the soldiers and the women they left behind, and
will likely do so for as long as the Fort Fisher monument stands.
Jim Steele
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
permission to erect the monument on Battle Acre, and
construction proceeded.
June 2, 1932 was a grand day to be at Fort Fisher. At Battle
Acre, the North Carolina Daughters dedicated their
monument to the soldiers who fought, bled, and died
defending the greatest fortification in the Confederacy.
Among the hundreds of celebrants were many of North
Carolina’s most-distinguished citizens, including Governor
Max Gardner. He praised Confederate veterans, of whom
four were present, and Confederate women, calling them
“the highest and bravest of their kind.”
President of the North Carolina UDC, Mrs. Cecil Brawley
Artwork from the monument dedication ceremony
program, June 2, 1932. (Research files, Fort Fisher State
Historic Site)
P A G E 9 Coded Communication in the Civil War
Fort Fisher State Historic Site kicked
off a new activity on June 13, 2009,
during the program “Semaphores &
Signal Flags.” Using signal flags and
cipher discs, members of the public
sent coded messages across the
south airstrip. Inside, kids of all ages
enjoyed our Morse Code exhibit
scavenger hunt where they discov-ered
the fascinating and unusual
artifacts in our Civil War museum.
Starting this fall both activities will
be available for school groups, 4th
grade and up. Educators should con-tact
the site for additional informa-tion
and details on how these activi-ties
meet North Carolina Standard
Course of Study requirements.
For more information about these
and other programs, please contact
Amy Thornton at 910-458-5538
or fisher@ncdcr.gov. This program is
made possible by the Fort Fisher Res-toration
Committee.
Jen Eudy
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
From Getting the Message Through by Albert J. Meyer, page 7
and took the wheels off the
carriage and put fresh grease on
the axles. We polished the tube
from muzzle to cascabell. After
all that we put the tube back on
the carriage. The Napoleon
almost seemed to sigh when we
were done. Last but certainly
not least, we made new wheel
chocks, and painted the
implements and the limber
chest.
In April the Napoleon was
brought out as an extra
special educational thank you
for our Park Day volunteers.
After helping us with some
projects around the grounds,
and eating lunch, we taught
our volunteers the artillery
drill. We ended the day with
a bang by firing the Napoleon.
All in all, I would say
everyone had a blast!
We will be busy this summer
with our “Load, Ready, FIRE!”
Programs. Come by Fort
Fisher Saturday July 25 and
Saturday August 22, as we
fire our field piece. Visitors
will also get the chance to
learn period artillery drill.
Don’t miss our Garrison Life
Program on Saturday, June 27,
as we talk about daily life for
soldiers here at Fort Fisher.
The Garrison Life Program
will include Napoleon and 32
pounder demonstrations as
well as infantry
demonstrations. We will also
be teaching the artillery drill
to visitors. We hope you will
join us for our summer
programs.
As always, we can provide
our Napoleon talk,
“Cannoneers Attention!” to
scheduled groups. Come
learn how Civil War soldiers
fired a cannon. The talk is
about the Napoleon’s uses
and capabilities and includes
teaching the artillery drill to
participants. For safety
reasons, we do not fire the
Napoleon for these
demonstrations nor do we
allow visitors to fire it when
we teach the drill. For more
information or to schedule
your group, please contact
Amy Thornton at the site:
910-458-5538 or email:
fisher@ncdcr.gov.
Jessica Sutton
Continued from page 6: Cannoneer’s Corner
Jessica Sutton and Becky
Sawyer leading the
interpretive program:
“Cannoneers Attention!”
P A G E 1 0
Continued from page 5: A Word From The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee
the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee,
Inc. and its partnership with the NC
Department of Cultural Resources and
its Division of Historic Sites working in
concert along with our federal and state
elected representatives.
Even though the current economic
climate has caused everyone to “trim the
sails,” as president of the Fort Fisher
Restoration Committee I want to take
this opportunity to say “thank you” for
supporting this site and staff. Many
exciting projects are being planned.
Before long we will welcome the arrival
of a reproduction 150 lb. Armstrong
Cannon tube to be mounted on our too
long-empty oak carriage behind the
visitor center. And planning has begun on
some exciting plans and events observing
the Civil War Sesquicentennial beginning
in 2011. It’s never too early to start the
planning.
The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee,
Inc. will be spearheading the launch of a
very exciting project for the
Sesquicentennial. So stay tuned in the
coming months as we prepare to make
an exciting announcement in conjunction
with the NC Division of Historic Sites.
Paul Laird
Join the Junior Reserves at Fort Fisher State Historic Site!
In March of 2009, Fort Fisher State Historic Site introduced a
new children’s program: the Junior Reserve Activity Booklet,
which derives its name from North Carolina’s Junior Reserve
regiments, units of boy soldiers age 13 to 17, who served
during the 1st Battle of Fort Fisher. This program provides
visitors, aged 4 to 13 and their families with fun and
educational activities to complete during their visit to the site.
Ranging from True/False and fill-in-the-blank exercises to
mazes and puzzles, all
activities can be
completed with the
information presented in
the museum exhibits and
tour trail. Upon
successful completion of
the required number of
exercises, the “Junior
Reserve” receives a
patch and a signed
certificate.
This new program has
been a great success and
achieved popularity
among Fort Fisher’s
visitors of all ages. The
Junior Reserve Program
is now in its second
printing with revisions
and updates by its
developers, Jesse Bricker
and Shannon SanCartier,
both graduate student in
UNCW’s Public History masters program. With the summer
season upon us, Fort Fisher’s younger visitors have one more
fun memory to take with them. This program is made possible
by the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee.
Jesse Bricker
Juno C. Crawford, N.C. Junior Reserves
(courtesy of Drew Beason)
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
School groups have long made up a large part of
Fort Fisher’s visitation. Now, with the introduction
of Fort Fisher History-in-a-Box, teachers and
students are able to have Fort Fisher come to
them! This new teaching tool incorporates lesson
plans based on North Carolina Competency Goals
and related touch objects to create a hands-on
learning experience that is both fun and
educational.
The content is designed for 8th graders, but is easily
adaptable for any grade level. The lessons include
activities that allow students to “reenact” the first
assault on Fort Fisher, operate their own blockade
runner and design an ironclad warship.
For more information contact Amy Thornton at
amythornton@ncdcr.gov or (910) 485-5538.
June 3 to mid-August: Mary Holloway Seasonal Interpreter. Wednesdays through Sundays, at 11am and 3pm, a
costumed guide will offer tours of the remains of the fort. Following the tour, at 11:45am and 3:45pm the Mary
Holloway interpreter will conduct a small arms weapons demonstration. The seasonal interpreter program is
named in honor of the site’s first tour guide.
June 13: “Semaphores and Signal Flags.” At scheduled times during the day site staff will demonstrate and
teach visitors to use signal flags as they were used during the Civil War. Coded messages will be sent down the
length of our air strip and deciphered using cipher
discs.
June 27: Garrison Life at Fort Fisher. Staff and
volunteers in period costume engage visitors in
daily life in the Confederate garrison. Learn about
the activities and duties performed by soldiers in
the fort as you watch infantry and artillery
demonstrations. Highlighting the event will be the
firing of the 32 pound rifled and banded cannon at
Shepherd’s Battery.
July 11: “Colonel Lamb Day.” Commemorating
Col. Lamb’s arrival at Fort Fisher on July 4, 1862
and reviving a popular program from Fort Fisher
State Historic Site’s past, “Col. Lamb Day” is an
opportunity for the public to learn more about
Fort Fisher’s commander from 1862 to 1865.
Short lectures and children’s activities are
scheduled throughout the day.
July 25: “Cannoneers: Load, Ready, Fire.” Learn about Civil War artillery in this small program. Costumed
staff will teach artillery drill to kids of all ages at scheduled time during the day and fire our 12 lb bronze Napoleon
for visitors.
August 8: “Running the Blockade in Stories
and Song.” This program features acclaimed local
musician, John Golden, as he performs period
music and tells tales of running the blockade.
August 22: “Cannoneers: Load, Ready, Fire.”
Learn about Civil War artillery in this program.
Costumed staff will teach artillery drill to kids of all
ages at scheduled time during the day and fire our
12 lb bronze Napoleon for visitors.
October 10: Civilian program: “Hardships on
the Home Front.” Civilians in the lower Cape
Fear region faced many hardships during the years
of the Civil War. Soldiers and civilians alike dealt with shortages of necessary supplies, deadly epidemics, and
more. Learn about the interactions between soldiers and locals in this new annual program.
P A G E 1 1
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
All demonstrations are subject to change, please contact the site for details on these and
other programs. Funding for our programs is provided in part by the Fort Fisher Restora-tion
Committee. Fort Fisher State Historic Site is a part of the
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
For additional information please call (910) 458-5538 or email fisher@ncdcr.gov
Huckleberry Bros. performing at a Fort Fisher program. (Michael Spence)
Firing the 32 pounder at a Fort Fisher program (Ryan Dilworth).
This newsletter was
produced with support
from the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee.
Fort Fisher Restoration Committee members:
Paul Laird, Chairman
Gehrig Spencer, Vice-Chairman
Tommy Tucker, Secretary/Treasurer
Earl Lane
Harry Payne, Jr.
Peter T. D’Onofrio
John Coble
R. James MacLaren
Jerome Fennell
Dr. Jack Hisley
1610 Fort Fisher Blvd South
P.O. Box 169
Kure Beach, North Carolina 28449
Phone: (910) 458-5538
Fax: (910) 458-0477
E-mail: fisher@ncdcr.gov
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
James McPherson (far right), author of Battle Cry of Freedom,

INS IDE THI S
I S SUE :
F O R T F I S H E R
S T A T E H I S TO R I C S I T E The Powder Magazine
V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 2 S U M M E R 2 0 0 9
S P ECIAL
POINTS OF
INTERE ST
• Experience
Garrison Life at
Fort Fisher
• Curious about
the Fort Fisher
monument?
• Hear the cannons
boom at Fort
Fisher programs
(see page 11)
• Want to plan a
fieldtrip? (see
page 9)
engineer impression. Kids of all
ages can join in the fun by learn-ing
period artillery drill. High-lighting
the program will be a
talk by local author and UNCW
professor, Chris Fonvielle.
October’s program, “Hardship
on the Home Front,” will delve
into the problems of shortages
on the home front, disease, etc.
that affected both civilians and
Fort Fisher soldiers.
For more information on these
and other programs, please con-tact
Amy Manor Thornton at
(910) 458-5538 or
fisher@ncdcr.gov. Demonstra-tions
and activities are subject to
change. All programs are made
possible with the support of the
Fort Fisher Restoration
Committee.
In 2009 Fort Fisher will launch
two major events, one in June
and one in October. These two
programs will give the public the
opportunity to experience the
daily lives of soldiers and civil-ians
during the Civil War. On
June 27, we will focus on life in
the Confederate Garrison and
on October 10 we will explore
the common hardships faced by
the civilian population, as well as
the troops at Fort Fisher.
On June 27, 2009, visitors will
hear the cannons boom as they
watch artillery and infantry dem-onstrations
and a Confederate
Infantry demonstrations at a Fort Fisher program (Bill Yeager)
Fort Fisher Debuts Two New Programs
For more than seventy-five
years, an imposing monument of
granite and bronze has stood
over Fort Fisher’s Battle Acre. A
Grecian column surmounted by
an eagle, it faces the sea as if
watching for the great Union
armada that doomed
Confederate Fort Fisher in
January 1865. Most visitors to
the monument leave impressed
with the military virtues of Fort
Fisher’s defenders. However,
the story of the monument is as
much about the ladies of the
United Daughters of the
Confederacy and their
worldview, as it is about Colonel
William Lamb and the men he led
in battle.
The idea to commemorate Fort
Fisher’s soldiers originated with
veterans of the battle. In 1902, the
Reverend James A. Smith
proposed a monument be erected
at the River Road gate, in honor
of his comrades of Company D,
1st North Carolina Heavy
Artillery, who lost their lives in
the desperate fighting there.
However, little came of the idea,
and nearly twenty years passed
before Captain Edgar D. Williams,
who witnessed the battle in his
youth, installed Fort Fisher’s
first historical marker. A simple
stone tablet, it marked the
location of Colonel Lamb’s
headquarters but was not an
especially grand monument.
In 1929, the ladies of the United
Daughters of the Confederacy
(UDC) dedicated themselves to
building a monument that
would “testify to future
generations the Daughters in
North Carolina are not
“How Grand a Fame It Watches Over”: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
From the Site
Manager’s Desk
2
Gift Shop Corner 2
Fort Fisher’s
Mound Battery
3
Blast from the
Past
5
A Word from
the FFRC
5
Cannoneer’s
Corner
6
Planning a
Fieldtrip to
Fort Fisher?
9
Join the
Junior Reserves
10
2009 Calendar
of Events
11
Continued on page 7
P A G E 2 From the Site Manager’s Desk: Our New Look
Regular visitors to Fort Fisher State
Historic Site have probably noticed a
change. In years past, we frequently
and closely mowed the entire site,
from the north airstrip to Battery
Buchanan. The grounds were as well-manicured
as a putting green, but
no more. Today, we are allowing
many acres of grass to grow, which
we believe is a change for the bet-ter.
North Carolina Historic Sites has
adopted a plan for “controlled
growth” of our grounds. The tighten-ing
state budget has required many
cost-savings measures, but has also
presented opportunities. In the area
of grounds maintenance, a need to
conserve fuel, equipment, and staff
time has given us a chance to rethink
our approach. What has been discov-ered
is that a reduced mowing sched-ule
has tangible benefits beyond its
contribution to the bottom line.
The earthen fortifications here have
not won their battle against erosion,
the oceanfront revetment wall not-withstanding.
Wind and rain continue
their assault on the ramparts, and
every year more historic material is
washed and blown away. The best
preventative is a thick covering of tall
grasses. It is a fact that an earth-work’s
resistance to erosion is di-rectly
proportional to the length of
the leaf. As preservationists, we are
obligated to do everything in our
power to ensure the remnants of
Fort Fisher survive to educate and
inspire future generations.
A reduced mowing schedule has
been applied to much of the rest of
the site, outside the immediate vicin-ity
of the visitor center, tour trail,
and oceanfront pathway. Areas such
as the north and south airstrips will
only be mowed twice a year, and not
as closely as in the past. The effect
will be one of a meadow, and will
more accurately suggest the landscape
of 1865. The soldiers and slaves who
labored here did not cut grass. In fact,
they encouraged its growth knowing
it was all that held the sand in place.
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
grounds will be less manicured than
you are used to seeing, but we believe
you will come to appreciate the new
look, and its contribution to better
battlefield preservation and interpre-tation.
“Controlled growth” is a cost
saving measure that will prove a posi-tive
good. Just remember, it is a bat-tlefield,
not a golf course. Drop in and
let us know what you think; as we
implement this new policy, we are still
learning and welcome your input.
Sincerely,
Jim Steele
Gift Shop Corner
Carolina, is known as the
steward of the largest Froelich
military collection in the
country. Fonvielle, noted local
historian and professor of
history at UNC-Wilmington,
explores the history of Louis
Froelich and his rise to fame as
a hard working and highly
skilled craftsman in war-time
North Carolina.
Some may ask who was Louis
Froelich? Froelich was a
German immigrant who came
to Wilmington, North
Carolina at the outbreak of
the American Civil War.
Froelich worked for the
Wilmington Button Factory
until it folded in August 1861 Continued on page 6
due to lack of government
contracts. Froelich turned
his attention to establishing
the Wilmington Arms Factory.
From September 1861 to
early 1863, the factory
manufactured swords, sabers,
and other war materiel for
North Carolina and the
Confederacy. Then in 1863, a
fire destroyed his factory and
Froelich moved the factory to
Kenansville, where it
continued to produce items
for the Confederacy including
several sets of surgical
instruments and buttons until
March 1865, when the Union
army occupied southeastern
North Carolina.
In this edition of the Gift Shop
Corner, we highlight the
newest addition to
the Fort Fisher gift
shop: Louis Froelich:
Arms-Maker to the
Confederacy by John
W. McAden, Jr., and
Dr. Chris E. Fonvielle,
Jr. by NC Starburst
Press (Slapdash
Publishing, LLC). The
first printing was
completed in August
2008.
McAden, an avid
sword collector from
Wilson, North
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
“As preservationists, we are obligated to
do everything in our power to ensure
the remnants of Fort Fisher survive to
educate and inspire future generations.”
P A G E 3
During the Civil War, the colossal earth work known as Mound
Battery, strategically positioned just South of Fort Fisher’s Sea
Face, loomed over the Cape Fear River estuary of New Inlet.
Erected in the first six months of 1863, the defensive work was
officially dubbed Battery Lamb, (though more commonly
referred to as “the Mound”), and was considered an
engineering marvel as well as Fort Fisher’s most notable
landmark. Virtually all seafaring men, both northern and
southern alike, plying the waters off Cape Fear during the Civil
War noted the impressive fortification.
Preparatory to constructing this massive “sand castle”, the
Federal Point Lighthouse (that had given Federal Point its name)
was razed. Timbers from the twenty-seven year old lighthouse
were scavenged as scaffolding to erect a wooden tower that
framed the battery and the inclined railway that descended
from the apex of the structure. With the assistance of steam
engines, cartloads of sand were then pulled up the rails to the
top of the tower before dumping the sand over the side,
gradually filling and covering the scaffolding. To stabilize the
citadel and shield it from erosion and wind, marsh grass was
planted on the sand walls. A complement of two heavy seacoast
guns were mounted on the summit en barbette (in the open)
and signal lights were raised above the gun emplacement.
According to Fort Fisher Commander, Col. William Lamb, the
sixty foot battery afforded the guns (a10-inch Columbiad
Smoothbore and a 6.4-inch Brooke Rifle) a position capable of,
“plunging fire on the channel.” The signal lights for
communicating with friendly vessels could be seen for miles
and blockade runners making for New Inlet soon looked to
Mound Battery for both navigation and protection.
Captain John Wilkinson
of the Confederate
States Navy recalled
that, “I believe the
military men used to
laugh slyly at the
Colonel for undertaking
its erection, predicting
that it would not stand;
but the result showed the contrary; and whatever difference of
opinion may have existed with regard to its value as a military
position, there can be but one as to its utility to the blockade-runners,
for it was not a landmark, alone along this
monotonous coast; but one of the range lights for crossing
New Inlet bar…”
Initial United States Navy intelligence pertaining to the
erection of Mound Battery was made official in February of
1863, when Captain Case, commander of the U.S.S. Iroquois,
addressed a dispatch concerning increased Confederate
activity off New Inlet to Acting Rear-Admiral S.P. Lee,
commander of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron: “SIR: I
have to report the enemy working like beavers in adding to
the defenses of New Inlet. From their apparent great energy I
am induced to believe that in the event of our capture of
Charleston this is to be the point for the blockade runners…A
steam engine is in use, apparently for the purpose of raising the
sand, etc…The light-house at Federal Point was taken down a
few days before my arrival…”
In April of 1863, Captain Case, again sent an advisory regarding
the Confederate defenses off New Inlet to Lee. Lee in turn
forwarded the following communiqué to Secretary of the Navy
Gideon Welles:
“The enemy is busily engaged filling sand
around the tower referred to in my No. 299,
of March 17, as building by the rebels on the
southwest end of Federal Point. It has now
assumed the character of a mound, to
construct which they use an inclined railway
to the top of the tower. I enclose herewith a
sketch, sent by Captain Case, representing
the appearance of this tower at three
different stages of its construction.”
“‘SIR: I have to report the enemy working
like beavers in adding to the defenses of New
Inlet. From their apparent great energy I am
induced to believe that in the event of our
capture of Charleston this is to be the point
for the blockade runners…’”
Fort Fisher’s Mound Battery
Construction of Mound Battery by Admiral Lee (Official
Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of
the Rebellion)
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Continued on page 4
P A G E 4
“This is a must for those who are historical interpreters,
historical re-enactors, scouts and campers or interested in
historical food ways.”
Continued from page 3: Fort Fisher’s Mound Battery
“Among the acts of individual heroism, one
must be mentioned: When the garrison flag
staff, standing in the parade, was shivered
by shot and shell and the flag had fallen,
orders were given to Captain Daniel Munn,
Company B, to raise a flag on the Mound
Battery. The halyards had become
unreeved and it was necessary to climb the
staff to fasten the flag. Private
Christopher C. Bland, of Company
K, Thirty-sixth North Carolina,
volunteered, climbed the staff
under a heavy fire of the fleet and
fastened the flag. At once a terrific
fire was poured on the Mound,
and the lower end of the flag being
cut loose, that heroic soldier
repeated the daring act, amid the
cheers of the garrison, and fastened the flag
securely to the staff, where it floated
triumphantly, although torn and rent by
fragments of shell, until the victory was
won.”
On January 8th, 1865, just seven days before the fall of the
fort, Lamb proudly forwarded the flag and the above account
to North Carolina Governor Zebulon Vance.
Today the eminence that was once Mound Battery is no
longer extant; yet a tangible reminder of the battery and the
men who fought there remains: “Kit” Bland’s Medal of
Honor, issued by the Son’s of Confederate Veterans in 1995,
is on display and can be seen in the Fort Fisher State Historic
Site visitor center.
Ray Flowers
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
The six month construction of Mound Battery required a
tremendous amount of men and labor. Colonel Lamb stated
that sometimes, “… hundreds were congregated together in
constructing the mound.” One of those “hundreds” wrote,
“We have very still times here just now although we have
plenty of work to do[.] We are building a mountain Seventy
two [sic] feet high[.] I don’t think we will ever get it
done…” While another complained that, “We are still at
work building a mountain out of sand
which is a considerable job for the wind
blows it away nearly as fast as we build
it…” Not only was the work
monotonous and fatiguing, but it could
also be dangerous. On January 30, 1863
Private Alfred Campen, Company B, 40th
Regiment N.C.T. was accidentally killed
during the dismantling of the lighthouse
preceding the erection of Mound Battery.
In November of 1863, Confederate President Jefferson
Davis toured the Lower Cape Fear defense system.
Recalling the President’s inspection of Fort Fisher, Colonel
Lamb wrote, “He landed at the point and rode with Gen.
Whiting to the mound. As soon as he reached the top,
giving him a complete view of the works, the sea-face guns
being manned for the purpose, gave him the Presidential
salute of twenty-one guns. We doubt whether many of the
forts in the South could claim the distinction of having fired
this salute.”
On Christmas Eve day 1864, during the first Battle of Fort
Fisher, eighteen-year old Private Christopher Columbus
“Kit” Bland performed a heroic feat. Fort Fisher
Commander, Colonel William Lamb described the daring
deed:
“‘We are still at work building a
mountain out of sand which is a
considerable job fort he wind
blows it away nearly as fast as we
build it…’”
Battery Lamb [Mound Battery] in January 1865
(Timothy O’Sullivan, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
P A G E 5 Blast From the Past: Do You Know Who This Is?
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Memorial Day signals the
traditional start of another
busy summer season at North
Carolina beaches. This
summer will be particularly
challenging for State Historic
Sites and especially Fort
Fisher. State budget shortfalls
have hit all state agencies hard
forcing reduced staffing,
grounds and maintenance
upkeep, travel, training and
operating hours. Even so, Fort
Fisher will remain the most
visited State Historic Site in
North Carolina. Last year
visitation exceeded 500,000.
While some of the large
visitor traffic is directly related
to the beautiful beaches of
Federal Point and other area
tourist attractions, many more
come to learn about the fabled
history of the South’s largest
fortification during the Civil
War and the terrible battles in
late 1864 and early 1865 that
captured the fort and sealed the
all-important port of
Wilmington and the fate of the
Confederacy. While Fort Fisher
is a beautiful and inviting beach
and tourist destination we can
never forget the sacrifices of
thousands of our fellow
countrymen, who collided,
fought, were wounded,
captured, or died, and those
who survived to give us the
freedoms we observe every
Memorial Day. God bless them
and the hallowed battlefields like
Fort Fisher that must be
preserved for future American
generations to understand the
high costs of liberty.
Over the past dozen years
the Fort Fisher site has
received many millions of
state and federal dollars to
protect the remnants of the
earthen fort from coastal
erosion and completely
renovate the visitor center
and install all new exhibits.
Most recently, loans of actual
artillery pieces that saw
service at Fort Fisher were
loaned by the Army from the
United States Military
Academy at West Point and
the United States Navy Yard
in Washington.
None of these
accomplishments would have
been possible without the
guiding hand of the site’s non-profit
support organization,
A Word From The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee
“While Fort Fisher is a
beautiful and inviting
beach and tourist desti-nation,
we can never
forget the sacrifices of
thousands of our fellow
countrymen…””
Continued on page 10
Kenny Koch, 30 year employee at Fort Fisher State Historic Site
P A G E 6
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
Continued from page 2: Gift Shop Corner
into the history behind the
Wilmington Arms Factory, later
renamed the Confederate States
Armory, by using newspaper articles
and other primary sources. The
American Society of Arms
Collectors cited that Louis Froelich:
Arms-Maker to the Confederacy
was “to be used as a reference book
in the field of Confederate edged
weapons and it is a factual and
informative work for both
collectors and historians and is
recommended for this field of
American arms history.” Louis
Froelich: Arms-Maker to the
Confederacy retails at $50.00 + tax,
hardbound and is 96 pages. This
would be the perfect gift for any
military history buff in your family or
for anyone who has an interest in
North Carolina Confederate military
arms and accessories.
Becky Sawyer
This book provides an amazing visual
inventory of North Carolina’s premier
arms maker to the Confederacy.
Kudos should be given to the graphic
arts designer, Daniel Ray Norris of
Slapdash Publishing and photographer,
Jack W. Melton, Jr. on the high quality
of the layout of the book and
spectacular images. Melton’s close-up
and detailed images show the reader
the intricate detail of Froelich’s
craftsmanship. The book also delves
Cannoneer’s Corner
The winter and early spring always proves to be a
busy time for the Fort Fisher cannons and their
crews. Luckily, we finally resolved our misfire
troubles by getting replacement friction primers in
time for the 144th Battle Anniversary Program.
January stayed true to winter and brought us bitter
cold weather the weekend of the program.
Thankfully it was only cold and there was no
precipitation. We made it onto the local morning
news cast the
day before the
program. We
were firing the
Napoleon to
promote the
program and it
was so cold, ice
crystals formed
on the sponge
head and in the
water bucket.
Despite the
cold, the 32
pounder, the
Napoleon, and
the Parrott Rifle (from
Adams Battery) all
boomed thunderously
to the delight of the
crowds (and to my delight there were no misfires).
On February 14th and 15th we took the Napoleon
to the 144th Battle Anniversary Program at
Brunswick Town/Fort Anderson State Historic Site.
We did our best to make sure all Valentines
present had a blast. We did have one little mishap.
A visitor asked historical interpreter Jim McKee,
“What happens when there’s a misfire?” Well, the
Napoleon decided to oblige with an answer, and he
quickly found out as our second shot misfired. Our
little bit of trouble was short lived and the
gentleman learned why we try not to say the ‘m’
word very often. Also as it turns out, February 14th
was Jim McKee’s birthday. Both cannon crews felt
it necessary to sing “Happy Birthday” to him as he
began the second demonstration. He was surprised
by our outburst of
singing, but
appreciated it
nonetheless.
March brought us
to Bentonville
Battleground State Historic Site on the 21st and
22nd for their 144th Battle Anniversary Program. For
this trip, however, we left the Napoleon at Fort
Fisher. Instead we fired Bentonville’s iron 3-inch
Ordnance Rifle. It felt a little odd firing a cannon
other than the Napoleon, but the Rifle performed
well as did our crew. Visitors do not mind seeing
different cannons, so long as they go “BOOM,” and
they get a lesson about it.
The Napoleon was glad to have a break and did not
mind us crewing another cannon, because it got a
maintenance-style spa treatment. We started by
taking the tube off the carriage. We chipped and
scraped the old paint off the carriage and gave it a
fresh paint job. We greased the elevation screw
“It was so cold, ice crystals
formed on the sponge head
and in the water bucket.”
Continued on page 9
Kenny Koch and Jessica
Sutton painting the
Napoleon carriage.
P A G E 7 Continued from page 1: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
unmindful of the heroism displayed by her Sons at Fort
Fisher.” In the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth
centuries, the Daughters built hundreds of monuments
throughout the South. Monuments were key components
in the UDC’s campaign to honor and vindicate
Confederate soldiers. UDC monuments proclaimed the
South’s devotion to patriotic principles and remain the
most enduring symbols of the Lost Cause. A justification
for secession and explanation for defeat, the Lost Cause
asserted a defense of states’ rights, not slavery, provoked
disunion, and that the Confederacy had been defeated
only by the Union’s overwhelming material resources.
The Fort Fisher Memorial Committee, chaired by Mrs.
Annie Rogers Newell of Charlotte, embarked on a four-year
campaign to raise money and to secure a site for the
monument. Every UDC chapter in North Carolina
pledged a donation to the monument fund each year. The
Daughters were
outstanding fundraisers.
They understood that their
monuments reflected their
own status as socially-elite
Southern women and as
guardians of Confederate
memory, and this
knowledge inspired their
best efforts. By October
1931, the North Carolina
Daughters had raised
$8,000, and a Wilmington
committee organized to
raise sufficient funds to
complete the $10,000
monument.
In the early 1930s, erosion
had yet to destroy Fort
Fisher’s mile-long,
oceanfront wall. Property
owners Thomas and Louis
Orrell donated land on the
fort’s Northeast Bastion, a
fine place for a
Confederate monument.
At its 1931 annual
convention, held in Wilmington, the North Carolina
UDC approved construction of a monument designed by
a Greensboro architectural firm. Charles C. Johnson,
famous for building the North Carolina monument at
Gettysburg, installed the monument’s foundations in
December, anticipating completion in time for a June
1932 dedication ceremony.
Unfortunately, oceanfront erosion forced a change of
plans. The removal of offshore coquina rock in the 1920s
accelerated the process along Fort Fisher’s sea face. By
1932, the Atlantic Ocean had consumed hundreds of feet
of beach, and was lapping at the very base of the Northeast
Bastion. A federal erosion board studied the problem and
determined a solution would cost $71,000. Chief of
engineers General Lytle Brown reported: “The
expenditure, while desirable in the interest of the
protection of a historic work, is not justified in any federal
interest of navigation.” This calamitous news forced the
Daughters to look elsewhere to site their monument, or
see it topple into the sea with the crumbling fortress.
Fortunately, nearby was a property ideally suited for a
monument. West and inland of the vanishing Northeast
Bastion was Battle Acre, a landscape where the Fort Fisher
headquarters once stood. In 1929, the United States
lighthouse service deeded the property, which it had
owned since 1817, to the City of Wilmington. As a
condition of the transfer, the national government
obligated the city to manage Battle Acre as a memorial to
the Battle of Fort Fisher. Dedicated on May 24, 1931,
Battle Acre had been landscaped and adorned with a few,
simple markers of concrete and cannonballs, and a flagpole
flying the Stars and Stripes. Mrs. Newell secured the city’s
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
From Confederate Veteran 40: 249, “Prominent Participants in Dedication at Fort Fisher.” Mrs. Annie
Rogers Newell (Chair, Fort Fisher Memorial Committee), Governor Max Gardner, Mrs. Cecil Brawley
Long (President, N.C. Division, U.D.C.), General William A. Smith (Commander, N.C. Division, United
Confederate Veterans).
P A G E 8
“This is a must for those who are historical interpreters,
historical re-enactors, scouts and campers or interested in
historical food ways.”
Continued from page 7: A History of the Fort Fisher Monument
Long, gave a stirring address. She called upon the crowd to
remember the deeds of their Confederate ancestors, and
impressed upon them the Daughters sacred trust to preserve
Confederate heritage:
“More monuments to Southern valor have been erected
upon Southern soil than have been set up in any other
land to any other people. In this cause of preserving the
heroic story of the South and immortalizing its illustrious
past the Daughters of the Confederacy have equaled the
devotion and loyalty of their mothers. . . In order that
this place should be properly marked the women of the
North Carolina U.D.C. have worked with persistence
and unconquerable courage and are proud today to be
members of an organization that can bring about such an
accomplishment. They have labored arduously and today
is the culmination of a long-cherished dream – a
monument at Fort Fisher. This slate of stone,
commanding the pilgrim to pause, to read and to know
that here occurred the greatest naval bombardment in
the history of ancient or modern warfare; that the blood
of our bravest drenched the ocean border in a scarlet
rain; that here was gloriously displayed the indomitable
spirit of the Boy Soldier of the Confederacy and to know
that here a grateful people have taken pride in inscribing
their history on imperishable stone. We pray it will stir
and quicken the pride of every North Carolinian. How
grand a fame it watches over.”
Since its dedication so long ago, the Fort Fisher monument has
maintained its vigil by the sea. In 1935 human remains presumed
to belong to a Confederate soldier were discovered in the
vicinity, and reinterred at the monument’s base. Erosion
threatened the monument again, and forced its westward
relocation in 1948. Fortunately, installation of an oceanfront
revetment wall in 1996 has stabilized Fort Fisher’s shoreline,
saving Battle Acre and making another move unlikely.
Today the Fort Fisher monument is an artifact of the early-twentieth
century, a time when the Lost Cause was the dominant
interpretation of the Civil War, and is as much a part of the
historical landscape as the surviving ramparts. Taken at face value,
it simply celebrates the valor of Fort Fisher’s Confederate
soldiers. However, the monument also reveals much about the
ladies who built it: their culture, their values, and their status as
elite women struggling to preserve Confederate heritage in a
New South. North Carolina Daughters today are proud of the
Fort Fisher monument. Every Confederate Memorial Day they
gather at Battle Acre in remembrance of their Confederate
ancestors, both the soldiers and the women they left behind, and
will likely do so for as long as the Fort Fisher monument stands.
Jim Steele
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
permission to erect the monument on Battle Acre, and
construction proceeded.
June 2, 1932 was a grand day to be at Fort Fisher. At Battle
Acre, the North Carolina Daughters dedicated their
monument to the soldiers who fought, bled, and died
defending the greatest fortification in the Confederacy.
Among the hundreds of celebrants were many of North
Carolina’s most-distinguished citizens, including Governor
Max Gardner. He praised Confederate veterans, of whom
four were present, and Confederate women, calling them
“the highest and bravest of their kind.”
President of the North Carolina UDC, Mrs. Cecil Brawley
Artwork from the monument dedication ceremony
program, June 2, 1932. (Research files, Fort Fisher State
Historic Site)
P A G E 9 Coded Communication in the Civil War
Fort Fisher State Historic Site kicked
off a new activity on June 13, 2009,
during the program “Semaphores &
Signal Flags.” Using signal flags and
cipher discs, members of the public
sent coded messages across the
south airstrip. Inside, kids of all ages
enjoyed our Morse Code exhibit
scavenger hunt where they discov-ered
the fascinating and unusual
artifacts in our Civil War museum.
Starting this fall both activities will
be available for school groups, 4th
grade and up. Educators should con-tact
the site for additional informa-tion
and details on how these activi-ties
meet North Carolina Standard
Course of Study requirements.
For more information about these
and other programs, please contact
Amy Thornton at 910-458-5538
or fisher@ncdcr.gov. This program is
made possible by the Fort Fisher Res-toration
Committee.
Jen Eudy
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
From Getting the Message Through by Albert J. Meyer, page 7
and took the wheels off the
carriage and put fresh grease on
the axles. We polished the tube
from muzzle to cascabell. After
all that we put the tube back on
the carriage. The Napoleon
almost seemed to sigh when we
were done. Last but certainly
not least, we made new wheel
chocks, and painted the
implements and the limber
chest.
In April the Napoleon was
brought out as an extra
special educational thank you
for our Park Day volunteers.
After helping us with some
projects around the grounds,
and eating lunch, we taught
our volunteers the artillery
drill. We ended the day with
a bang by firing the Napoleon.
All in all, I would say
everyone had a blast!
We will be busy this summer
with our “Load, Ready, FIRE!”
Programs. Come by Fort
Fisher Saturday July 25 and
Saturday August 22, as we
fire our field piece. Visitors
will also get the chance to
learn period artillery drill.
Don’t miss our Garrison Life
Program on Saturday, June 27,
as we talk about daily life for
soldiers here at Fort Fisher.
The Garrison Life Program
will include Napoleon and 32
pounder demonstrations as
well as infantry
demonstrations. We will also
be teaching the artillery drill
to visitors. We hope you will
join us for our summer
programs.
As always, we can provide
our Napoleon talk,
“Cannoneers Attention!” to
scheduled groups. Come
learn how Civil War soldiers
fired a cannon. The talk is
about the Napoleon’s uses
and capabilities and includes
teaching the artillery drill to
participants. For safety
reasons, we do not fire the
Napoleon for these
demonstrations nor do we
allow visitors to fire it when
we teach the drill. For more
information or to schedule
your group, please contact
Amy Thornton at the site:
910-458-5538 or email:
fisher@ncdcr.gov.
Jessica Sutton
Continued from page 6: Cannoneer’s Corner
Jessica Sutton and Becky
Sawyer leading the
interpretive program:
“Cannoneers Attention!”
P A G E 1 0
Continued from page 5: A Word From The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee
the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee,
Inc. and its partnership with the NC
Department of Cultural Resources and
its Division of Historic Sites working in
concert along with our federal and state
elected representatives.
Even though the current economic
climate has caused everyone to “trim the
sails,” as president of the Fort Fisher
Restoration Committee I want to take
this opportunity to say “thank you” for
supporting this site and staff. Many
exciting projects are being planned.
Before long we will welcome the arrival
of a reproduction 150 lb. Armstrong
Cannon tube to be mounted on our too
long-empty oak carriage behind the
visitor center. And planning has begun on
some exciting plans and events observing
the Civil War Sesquicentennial beginning
in 2011. It’s never too early to start the
planning.
The Fort Fisher Restoration Committee,
Inc. will be spearheading the launch of a
very exciting project for the
Sesquicentennial. So stay tuned in the
coming months as we prepare to make
an exciting announcement in conjunction
with the NC Division of Historic Sites.
Paul Laird
Join the Junior Reserves at Fort Fisher State Historic Site!
In March of 2009, Fort Fisher State Historic Site introduced a
new children’s program: the Junior Reserve Activity Booklet,
which derives its name from North Carolina’s Junior Reserve
regiments, units of boy soldiers age 13 to 17, who served
during the 1st Battle of Fort Fisher. This program provides
visitors, aged 4 to 13 and their families with fun and
educational activities to complete during their visit to the site.
Ranging from True/False and fill-in-the-blank exercises to
mazes and puzzles, all
activities can be
completed with the
information presented in
the museum exhibits and
tour trail. Upon
successful completion of
the required number of
exercises, the “Junior
Reserve” receives a
patch and a signed
certificate.
This new program has
been a great success and
achieved popularity
among Fort Fisher’s
visitors of all ages. The
Junior Reserve Program
is now in its second
printing with revisions
and updates by its
developers, Jesse Bricker
and Shannon SanCartier,
both graduate student in
UNCW’s Public History masters program. With the summer
season upon us, Fort Fisher’s younger visitors have one more
fun memory to take with them. This program is made possible
by the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee.
Jesse Bricker
Juno C. Crawford, N.C. Junior Reserves
(courtesy of Drew Beason)
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
School groups have long made up a large part of
Fort Fisher’s visitation. Now, with the introduction
of Fort Fisher History-in-a-Box, teachers and
students are able to have Fort Fisher come to
them! This new teaching tool incorporates lesson
plans based on North Carolina Competency Goals
and related touch objects to create a hands-on
learning experience that is both fun and
educational.
The content is designed for 8th graders, but is easily
adaptable for any grade level. The lessons include
activities that allow students to “reenact” the first
assault on Fort Fisher, operate their own blockade
runner and design an ironclad warship.
For more information contact Amy Thornton at
amythornton@ncdcr.gov or (910) 485-5538.
June 3 to mid-August: Mary Holloway Seasonal Interpreter. Wednesdays through Sundays, at 11am and 3pm, a
costumed guide will offer tours of the remains of the fort. Following the tour, at 11:45am and 3:45pm the Mary
Holloway interpreter will conduct a small arms weapons demonstration. The seasonal interpreter program is
named in honor of the site’s first tour guide.
June 13: “Semaphores and Signal Flags.” At scheduled times during the day site staff will demonstrate and
teach visitors to use signal flags as they were used during the Civil War. Coded messages will be sent down the
length of our air strip and deciphered using cipher
discs.
June 27: Garrison Life at Fort Fisher. Staff and
volunteers in period costume engage visitors in
daily life in the Confederate garrison. Learn about
the activities and duties performed by soldiers in
the fort as you watch infantry and artillery
demonstrations. Highlighting the event will be the
firing of the 32 pound rifled and banded cannon at
Shepherd’s Battery.
July 11: “Colonel Lamb Day.” Commemorating
Col. Lamb’s arrival at Fort Fisher on July 4, 1862
and reviving a popular program from Fort Fisher
State Historic Site’s past, “Col. Lamb Day” is an
opportunity for the public to learn more about
Fort Fisher’s commander from 1862 to 1865.
Short lectures and children’s activities are
scheduled throughout the day.
July 25: “Cannoneers: Load, Ready, Fire.” Learn about Civil War artillery in this small program. Costumed
staff will teach artillery drill to kids of all ages at scheduled time during the day and fire our 12 lb bronze Napoleon
for visitors.
August 8: “Running the Blockade in Stories
and Song.” This program features acclaimed local
musician, John Golden, as he performs period
music and tells tales of running the blockade.
August 22: “Cannoneers: Load, Ready, Fire.”
Learn about Civil War artillery in this program.
Costumed staff will teach artillery drill to kids of all
ages at scheduled time during the day and fire our
12 lb bronze Napoleon for visitors.
October 10: Civilian program: “Hardships on
the Home Front.” Civilians in the lower Cape
Fear region faced many hardships during the years
of the Civil War. Soldiers and civilians alike dealt with shortages of necessary supplies, deadly epidemics, and
more. Learn about the interactions between soldiers and locals in this new annual program.
P A G E 1 1
T H E P O W D E R M A G A Z I N E
All demonstrations are subject to change, please contact the site for details on these and
other programs. Funding for our programs is provided in part by the Fort Fisher Restora-tion
Committee. Fort Fisher State Historic Site is a part of the
North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
For additional information please call (910) 458-5538 or email fisher@ncdcr.gov
Huckleberry Bros. performing at a Fort Fisher program. (Michael Spence)
Firing the 32 pounder at a Fort Fisher program (Ryan Dilworth).
This newsletter was
produced with support
from the Fort Fisher Restoration Committee.
Fort Fisher Restoration Committee members:
Paul Laird, Chairman
Gehrig Spencer, Vice-Chairman
Tommy Tucker, Secretary/Treasurer
Earl Lane
Harry Payne, Jr.
Peter T. D’Onofrio
John Coble
R. James MacLaren
Jerome Fennell
Dr. Jack Hisley
1610 Fort Fisher Blvd South
P.O. Box 169
Kure Beach, North Carolina 28449
Phone: (910) 458-5538
Fax: (910) 458-0477
E-mail: fisher@ncdcr.gov
Fort Fisher State Historic Site
James McPherson (far right), author of Battle Cry of Freedom,